Bada Bagh Cenotaphs

Bada Bagh, also called Barabagh (lit. "grand garden" in Hindustani) is a garden complex located about six kilometers north of Jaisalmer in the Indian state of Rajasthan.

Overlooking a mango grove sits a set of royal chhatri cenotaphs constructed by the Maharajas of the Jaisalmer State in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries CE.

A descendant of Maharawal Jaisal Singh, the founder of Jaisalmer State, Jait Singh II (1497–1530), commissioned a dam to create a water tank during his reign in the 16th century CE. This made the desert green in this area.

After Jait Singh II's death, his son Lunkaran (1530-1551) built a beautiful garden by the lake and a memorial chhatri cenotaph on a hill overlooking the lake.

Later on, many more cenotaphs were constructed here for Lunkaran and other Bhattis. The last chhatri, meant for Maharawal Jawahir Singh, dates from the 20th century and remains unfinished after Indian independence.

Bada Bagh is situated on a small hill. The memorial chhatri cenotaphs have all been carved out of sandstone blocks, but have been built in at least four different sizes - for the ruling kings, their queens, their princes, and other royal family members. Each cenotaph has a marble slab with inscriptions about the deceased royal and a symbolic image of a man on a horse.

Entering Bada Bagh.
Entry into Bada Bagh is from the west.

The cenotaphs at sunset.
The cenotaphs are bathed in the orange light of the sunset.

Every evening, the empty tombs are bathed in an orange glow as the sun begins to set in their backdrop.
But no flowers bloom in its surroundings, and barely any greenery is visible across the landscape.

Entrance to the cenotaph group.
Entrance to the cenotaph group is via the entrance to the left of the photo.

Northwest group of cenotaphs

Maharawal Jawahir Singh (1914–1949).
The last cenotaph to be built was of Maharawal Jawahir Singh, however, it was never completed.

His son, Maharawal Girdhar Singh, died when the construction was only midway.
Local folklore says that the mishap was considered so inauspicious that the site was abandoned immediately, and remained so until it fell into complete disarray.
Since then, the garden complex has become an object of neglect, with many of its trees wilting to death while the exceptional stone structures stand strong against the winds of time.

Maharawal Shalivahana Singh Ji III (r. 1890-1914 AD).

Northwest group of cenotaphs.
The northwest group has mostly Hindu cenotaphs.

Cenotaph with tablet with knight.
Every cenotaph housed an inscribed tablet of about four feet in height.

On it was sculpted the face of the king with a description about him.
Other tablets depicted images of his wives and concubines, and showed him on a horse.

Wedding couple in traditional Rajasthani dress.
A lot of people choose this place as their pre-wedding photoshoot place.

The women of Rajasthan generally wear Ghagra and a Choli - also known as Kanchli, which is also the name of Rajasthani dress Choli or blouse. Ghagra is a name of Rajasthani dress that is a type of long skirt worn by women folks. The Ghagra is usually worn along with a Choli or a long or short blouse. Some women also wear prefer to wear Kurti over their skirts. The whole dress is then complemented by a colourful Odhni or a Dupatta that covers the bride's entire face during the wedding ceremonies. Wedding Ghagras worn by the womenfolk of Rajasthan comes in various vibrant colours and prints like Leheriya and Mothra. These are usually made of cotton.
Menfolk of Rajasthan are not far behind women in dressing up. They look as colourful and gorgeous as women. Their costumes include a Pagri (turban), Dhoti or Pyjama, Angarkha, Patka (waistband) and Kamarbandh.

Another wedding couple in traditional Rajasthani dress.

Southeast group of cenotaphs

Southeast group of cenotaphs.
Every memorial or chattri built here had a story to tell. The shape of the domes revealed the identity of their makers—pyramid domes were made by Muslim sculptors, while the round ones were created by Hindus.